Monster
by Set.Me.Free.123
Summary: POST MR2. PRE MR3,4. Max and the flock meet a strange boy who knows all about them. Who is he? And why does Max feel such a strong connection with him? And then there's Fang...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I decided to put up some old stuff I sound in my Microsoft Word archives. If you like it, I have more, and I'll put more up. Review and let me know.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

**But I do own this plot and all the characters I've made up.**

"Can we go? Max? Please? _Please?_ Pretty, pretty please with sugar and cherries and chocolate syrup and those cookies you like and--"

"Nudge!" Iggy cut her off sharply. I shot him a grateful look, although he, of course, couldn't see it. I mean, I loved Nudge, but sometimes she went too far. That motor mouth of hers just _never_ quit. I always said she could turn Mother Teresa into an axe murderer; she was about to just that to _me._

"Fine, Nudge; yes, we can go," I answered, mostly so that she would just _shut up._ My head hurt enough without her constant rambles. My reply was greeted with hollers and screeches of joy from the flock. At least _they_ would have some fun.

So, without further ado, we headed over to the local mall. Yes, the mall. I had decided that we all needed some new clothes (my mistake), and, instead of a thrift store or local shop, Nudge had suggested the mall. Needless to say, the suggestion went over well. Well, at least Gazzy, Angel, and Iggy agreed to it. Total didn't seem too happy about having to stay outside, and Fang was silent as always. I didn't like cramped spaces, due to my serious claustrophobia, and so I wasn't really that excited, to say the least. Plus, I wasn't one of those girly-girl types who loved to shop. I figured that, as long as I was wearing _clothes,_ I didn't really care what they looked like. But, whatever. I had had a major headache since the night before, and I wasn't about to listen to Nudge for hours on end. The mall would keep her (hopefully) quiet. Quiet_er_ at least. Maybe. I didn't really care, just as long as I could buy a shirt and some jeans, maybe a new windbreaker, and sit down at one of the fast food joints, sipping a nice, cold soda.

It didn't take long to get there. The bright side of wings: they made travel a whole heck of a lot faster. We tucked them in instantly upon landing on the sidewalk, and I made sure everyone had them hidden before I did the same. I wasn't about to take any stupid chances. Then, I led our small group into the vast mall, trying to act as though I knew exactly what I was doing.

"Keep close, guys," I whispered out of the corner of my mouth, seeing the gobs of people milling about, and then, louder, I added, "So…where to first?" I had them stumped with that one. None of us had ever been in a mall, and so we didn't exactly know what to do…besides go into stores and shop. But, which stores did we go into?

"Uh…why don't we just walk around, and if any of us see a place we want to check out, point it out, okay guys?" Fang asked. I shot him a grateful glance. At least he had a plan. A _good_ plan at that.

It didn't take long for Nudge and Angel to find someplace they wanted to go in, and Gazzy had agreed to it (on the condition that they would visit his choice next). Fang was explaining the clothes to Iggy, and Angel had me by the hand and was dragging me around to various corners of the Children's Department. Nudge had grabbed a load of clothes and was busying herself by trying them all on for us and in front of the mirror, keeping some and tossing others, while Gazzy compared various camo-style pants. I seemed to be the only one not thoroughly enjoying myself, and I moped around by the fitting rooms, waiting for Nudge to come out. Mostly, I was just so tired. Confused and tired. Confused and tired and angry and…and _frustrated_ at my stupid Voice and my whole stupid, whacked-up _life._ No Erasers had attacked us for days, but my headaches were getting worse, almost entirely due to lack of sleep. It had been only a few nights ago that my nightmares had returned, worse than ever. They were just jumbled flashes of images and colors, pain, suffering, and death being most common. And, of course, the Voice showed up, always at the end, to put in its two cents. _Save the world, Maximum. Don't get side-tracked, Maximum. Sacrifices happen, Maximum. Keep your goals in mind, Maximum. _I was just about ready to rip off my own arm if it would get rid of the thing!

_I'm only trying to help, Maximum. _

_Well, stop_,I thought back to it. It always popped up at the worst of times.

_You need to trust me, Maximum. I love you very much, and I'm here to help you. But you have to _let_ me. Give me a chance, Max._

I snorted. _A chance? No way in hell,_ I snapped back sharply.

_Well, Maximum, I'm here, and I'm helping, and, whether you like it or not, you _will_ listen to me._

_Ha. Not a Chance, Voice, _I answered, shrugging it off.

_You need to focus, Maximum! _The Voice sounded impatient. _If you're going to save the world—_

"I don't want to save the world!" I practically screamed. A millisecond later I realized that everyone in the store was staring at me. Nudge had come out of the fitting room in a new outfit and was staring at me, open-mouthed. I glanced out at the store, and I could see Fang looking at me with concern in his dark eyes. I didn't even have enough energy to smile sheepishly at him. Instead, I moved from my spot leaning against the wall and walked right out of the store, handing Fang the credit card as I passed by him. Without a single word, I made my way at a slow, steady walk into the hallway, looking as dazed and dead as I felt.My empty eyes and shuffling steps drew stares as I made my way far away from a baffled flock and finally sat down on a vacant bench in a surprisingly desolate part of the mall. Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the hard wood of the bench and whispered, "Screw you."

"Excuse me?" A confused male voice startled me out of my thoughts. I jumped about three feet in the air and found my feet on the floor, myself fully standing, alert, and in fight-mode in a millisecond. I stood face-to-face with a, admittedly handsome, teenage boy. He looked to be about my age, with long-ish, messy black hair, fair skin, and gorgeous emerald-green eyes.

"Oh…uhm...s-sorry…I-I wasn't talking…to you—I mean, I didn't know you were there, and I…I was just…yeah," I stuttered. I was so embarrassed at being caught off-guard like this; especially mouthing off to someone I didn't even know. And a very cute someone at that…wait. What was I saying? _Bad Max! You don't even know him!_ I scolded myself. But, really, he _was_ pretty hot. His big gem-like eyes stared quizzically at me, and a lock of his hair had fallen in front of his face, making him look both more confused and more desirable.

"Who were you talking to, then?" he asked, stepping closer to me.

"I—I don't know you," I said firmly, partly to myself. He smiled, and I felt as though my cheeks were on fire. My stomach did flip-flops. _What is going on with me?_ I wondered absently.

"Well, why don't you sit down, and we can fix that?" he offered, and, before my brain had realized what I was doing, I had accepted, and he had grabbed my hand, making me jump a bit, my head light, and begun to lead me to a small alcove off the main hallway. A soda machine was in the corner, and there was a locked staff room on the other side. He pulled me down with him, and we sat on the other side of the soda machine, so that we wouldn't be seen immediately by any people passing by. Not that there were many. This was a pretty secluded part of the mall. _What am I doing?_ I thought more frantically. _What if he's an Eraser? Or…or working for the School? He could attack me at any time! And no one would see! Why am I so _stupid_? Fang is going to kill me…Fang! What about the flock? Oh, God, I've got to get back to them! They probably—_

"So…the name's Shane. What about you?" The green-eyed boy's voice cut into my rampage of thoughts. I looked up, startled. Shane? _That's a nice name, _I mused, then mentally slapped myself. _Stop it, Max!_

"Uh…I'm…Max," I started unsurely, wondering how much I could tell this strange, beautiful boy. He looked both frantic and excited.

"Max? As in…Maximum Ride?" he whisper-asked, getting right to the point. My mouth fell open.

"H-how do you know my name?" I asked, astonished and dumb-founded.

"_Everyone_ knows you, Max! You—you're supposed to _save the world,_" he finished, matter-of-factly. I cocked my head at him, silently fuming.

"Why is it that I'm always the last one to know these things?" I exasperated.

"You—you didn't know?" he said, confused.

"No…I knew. I just haven't known for _long_." He nodded understanding.

"Yeah, well, Jeb wasn't about to tell you _right_ after you escaped…he had too much to teach you, right?" Shane laughed, then continued, "And now…you don't trust him, do you?"

"Uh…_no!_" I said in a _duh_ tone. He laughed again. I liked his laugh. It was light and reassuring, somehow.

"Wait—how do you know all this?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice. Chuckling, he answered, "When you're in the School after a few big stir-ups, you hear things, you know?" I smiled at him.

"Totally. I get it." There was a pause, as if he was waiting for me to catch something, and then it hit me.

"The School?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, duh," he replied, "How else could I get my wings?" I stared at him in shock for a long moment, before he stood up, looked around the corner for stray shoppers, and, upon seeing none, pulled off his black hoodie to reveal two huge snow-white wings, streaked with the same emerald-green his eyes sparkled with.

The only word I managed to get out was, "Wow…"

**A/N: I have another few thousand words typed out already...just say if/when.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Except what is mine.**

* * *

"Where'd she go? Should we go after her? Hey, Fang? Who do you think she was talking to? And…why doesn't she want to save the world? She sounds stressed. Is she stressed? Is she sad or something? I mean, she didn't look too happy—"

"Nudge!" I cut Nudge off, looking from the credit card in my hand up to the large hallways Max had disappeared down. Sighing, I turned to Iggy.

"Ig, you're in charge; here's the card. Make sure they don't buy too much, okay? I'll meet you by the food," I whispered under his breath. Iggy nodded, probably figuring I wanted to go after Max. I was the only one she would listen to, anyway. If even that.

"Fang! Fang? Where're _you_ going?" Nudge asked, practically knocking over every rack in an effort to catch up with me. Stopping suddenly, I turned around to face her.

"I'm going to find Max."

Shane smiled down at me.

"They're Technicolor. You like?" he asked, amused. I blushed when I realized that I was still ogling at his wings.

"They're—they're beautiful," I choked out, trying to maintain any composure and dignity I had left. He laughed, grinning broadly.

"Would it surprise you to know that they are viewed mostly as an ugly mistake?" he asked, his tone, though still light, held an unmistakable bitter note. My mouth dropped.

"What? But they're—perfect," I whispered. He shook his head sadly, pulling his hoodie back over his head and plopping down beside me again.

"Nope. I was supposed to be some sort of raptor, you know, a falcon or hawk or something, but the 'doctor' who screwed with my DNA injected me with something else instead." He said the whole thing with the same defiantly angry pitch I always used to talk about my past at the School.

"What?" I asked, eager to learn the origins of his magnificent coloring. Technicolor, he called it.

"You're going to laugh when I tell you—I know it. And don't try to deny it; you will, trust me." He looked at me with fire in his eyes. Evidently, his spliced DNA had given him a lot of humiliation in the past. I smiled softly at him. Touching his shoulder lightly, I leaned in close to him and whispered, "I would never laugh. I don't enjoy watching people suffer; not even mutants. I'm not like that, and if you think I am, you've obviously got a lot to learn about me." His sparkling green eyes looked up to meet mine, and he mouthed, "Thanks." Then, without widening the gap between our faces or breaking from my gaze, he said, more confidently, "I'm still only two percent bird, mind you; I just have two _different_ percents…if that makes any sense." I nodded. He continued.

"Well, the doctor wanted to try something new, something none of the other whitecoats had ever tried before, so he injected my embryo with one point five percent swan—and point five percent peacock." I didn't smile, didn't laugh. Then, finally, after a long pause, I cocked my head at him and guessed, "So you get Technicolor from only a point five percent? Wow, they must not have expected _that._" Shane smiled, and we both broke into laughter.

"So…what about you?" he asked as soon as our laughs subsided. I shook my head solemnly.

"Me? I don't really know about me. I mean, I know I'm two percent bird—and avian-human hybrid, like you, but I don't know the bird I'm—related—to. Whoa…what a crazy though, huh? _Related…_" I trailed off into thought, Shane shaking his head sympathetically.

"Yeah…crazy," he murmured eventually. I lifted my head to say something else, and was suddenly confronted by our awkward positioning. He was _so close._ Too close, I decided. I stood up right away, afraid of what would happen if I didn't stop it before it started.

"Max? Hey, where're you going?" I glanced down at him, my cheeks heating. We had been literally _inches_ apart.

"Uh…I need to find my flock," I mumbled, the reality of the situation creeping up on me. _The flock!_ Shane stood up, and I realized dimly that he was only about two inches taller than me. _Shorter than Fang, then, _I thought absently.

"I'll help you find them," he said, smiling, "Seeing as how it was me who kept you for so long…I just couldn't resist." He shot me a cocky, toothy grin, which I returned with an eye roll and a small smile. _Boys, _I mused, shaking my head, as Shane stepped out in front of me.

"Which way first, your majesty?"

I scowled at his back.

* * *

Iggy stared out blankly in the direction Fang had left, or at least what direction he _thought_ Fang had left in. You can only ask so much of a blind kid, you know. Shaking his head, he turned to Gazzy, who was still clutching to the older boys shirt nervously.

"Okay guys," he said sighing, "Hurry up and pick out what you want. We don't want to be late meeting Fang and Max." For once, they all just did what he said. And not one of them said a single word.

* * *

I glowered angrily. Who the hell was this special guy? This—this _attention_ stealer. Not that I cared if Max happened to maybe, though it was very unlikely, I reminded myself, if she happened to maybe _like_ this guy. Why _should_ I care? Just because I didn't like the first guy she went out with didn't mean I wouldn't like the second. But, they weren't going out, were they? Hadn't they just met? And he was _human._ So…no way. Right?

Either way, I decided to follow instead of confronting them. I saw them talking; Max looked like she was being very open. So did the boy, actually. I followed them to the food court, where I kept an eye out for Iggy and the flock; we had an unspoken agreement to always meet by the food when we got split up. I saw a strawberry-blonde head bobbing towards me in the crowd, and waved over in its direction. Seconds later, the flock emerged from the mass of people, towing a bag each, except Nudge and Gazzy, who each had two. _Max's and my clothes, _I thought distractedly. But it brought me back to Max. Who was _still_ spilling her guts to that _guy._

"Where's Max?" Nudge asked, tearing me from my one-track mind-set.

"Over there." I tried hard not to hiss. The result was a rasping sound from the back of my throat. I swore under my breath. I saw Iggy glance in my direction.

"Who's she with?" Gazzy asked, jumping up and down in an effort to see over the numerous peoples' heads.

"I don't know," I said quietly.

"Shane," Angel said in a monotone.

"What?" Nudge asked.

"Shane," Angel repeated, "His name is Shane." I looked over at the six year old.

"Pick up anything else?" I asked. She shrugged.

"They're talking about French fries," she said.

"French fries?" Iggy asked incredulously.

"Yeah…" she answered, "About how some are long, some are shot, the crisp ones and the soggy ones…Max is wondering if finding him was part of a test, and he thinks its pretty cool that they can talk about the most random things and still have a laugh. Oh, and she likes his eyes."

"Oh," I said, unsure of how to reply. _French fries? Test? _Iggy wolf-whistled.

"What's so great about these eyes she loves?" he teased. Angel shrugged again.

"She thinks they're—what did she say?—gorgeous. She keeps on calling them 'emeralds'." Iggy laughed. I sighed.

"Should we go over there, Fang?" Nudge asked, "'Cause I think it would be really cool to meet this guy. I wonder if his eyes really are _that_ green—can any eyes be that green? Is it—"

"Nudge!" I cut her off, "Fine. Let's go." I turned and led the flock over to the two tall teenagers by the burger joint.

**A/N: Review if you like it (and want more). XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still don't own MR, actually. And I still own Shane. And this plot. **

* * *

"Mmmm," I murmured, "_This_ is the best French fry ever." Shane gave me an "are-you-crazy?" look.

"No way," he argued, "Way too wobbly. The crunchy ones are the best."

"Nuh-uh," I defended. We were totally flirting, but, for some reason, I liked it. But don't quote me on that.

"Yeah huh!" he shot back.

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Ye—"

"Uh…_hi_." Shane was interrupted by a voice to our left. I turned around to see none other than the flock.

"Hi yourself," I said, smiling. Why was I being so…_girly?_

"Is this the infamous flock?" Shane asked, smiling brightly. Oh. Right. _That's _why.

"In the flesh," I replied. He looked them up and down for a second, then murmured, "Interesting," to himself.

"We sure are!" Gazzy declared proudly. Shane chuckled.

"And who would _you_ be?" Fang growled. I glanced at him, and our eyes met for a second. He looked away quickly. _Huh?_

"Let's go somewhere more…private," Shane suggested.

"Yes, let's," I answered, "C'mon guys."

* * *

We ended up in an old park. It wasn't used much anymore, as anyone could guess from the dilapidated play structures and broken swing sets, but it was perfect for seven bird-kids and their talking dog.

"So?" Fang asked as soon as everyone was settled, in a circle, no less.

"So…where do we start?" I countered. Shane smiled.

"I'm the newbie, so I guess that's my job, eh?" he joked, then his voice went serious, "I'm Shane. And I just happened to run into Max"—he gestured to me—"by pure dumb luck." Fang looked suspicious.

"How do you know about us?" he growled.

"Who _doesn't_ know about you?" he asked. Fang's eyes narrowed. Shane rolled his eyes.

"Don't get your feathers in a knot, man," he said, "I'm a bird-boy too." Fang glared at him.

"Fine," Shane sighed. Then he stood up, pulled off his hoodie, and spread out his beautiful wings.

The flock gasped.

"Holy frijoles," Total yelled, "They're _green!_" What an understatement.

"Whoa…" Nudge said, astounded, but not quite out of words.

"Oh," Fang mumbled. Gazzy and Angel's eyes were wide in admiration, but Iggy looked annoyed.

"Hello?" he asked, "Blind guy over here!" Nudge turned around and quickly began explaining Shane's magnificent feathers. Let alone the fact that he _had_ feathers.

"So?" Fang prompted.

"So…" Shane echoed, folding his wings back into his spine.

"Powers, story?" Fang demanded. I rolled my eyes.

"God, Fang. We're not playing _Twenty Questions_." Fang growled.

"Whoa, there. Don't worry about it. Let's see…story first? God—it's probably the same as yours, right? Grew up in a lab, in dog crates. Experiments. All around pain. But Jeb didn'trescue me. Not that I'm much better in _that_ respect," he said slowly.

"Who rescued you, then?" I joked. His face turned solemn.

"Anne." My mouth dropped. Everyone but Shane and I had confused looks on their faces.

"Uh…Anne? Who?" Iggy asked. I grimaced.

Then I thought about it. Her. And I _snapped._

"_Mommy dearest,_" I hissed, "Miss _FBI._ Miss come-home-with-me. Miss I'll-take-care-of-you. Miss I'm-the-parent-and-what-I-say-goes. Miss _school._ Miss _uniforms. _Miss let-me-_adopt_-you-you-beautiful-bird-children. Miss hey-I-know-I'll-ruin-someone's-_life._ Miss let-me-make-someone-innocent-_die._ Miss let's-run-_people._ Miss you're-like-my-daughter-Max."

"You don't mean…" Nudge asked, her eyes wide. I sneered.

"Miss head-honcho _Anne Walker!_" I yelled. The flock, plus Shane, was staring as me as I said this. Fang looked angry.

"Why didn't you _tell me_?" he asked. I growled. I was officially _pissed off._

"Well," I started conversationally, "Somewhere between the Voice pushing me over the edge, the isolation tank, Itex, and fighting my _clone—_it sort of slipped my mind." Fang flinched back, if only a millimeter.

"Uh…okay. I'm sensing some anger here. Want to talk about it?" Shane asked with a nervous laugh.

"Damn right there's _some anger here._ And, _no, _I do not want to freaking _talk_ about it, because _living _it _once_ is _enough_ for me," I snarled. I had finally, _finally,_ lost it. And, boy, when I lost it—I lost it _big._

"U-uh…s-sorry…" he mumbled.

"Max?" Gazzy asked, sounding small, "Are you—okay?" I laughed bitterly. What a question. What a freaking _question._ But I needed to calm down—even I, in my rage, could see that I was scaring everyone. I needed to relax…

_That's right, Maximum. Relax… You can't find the answers unless you unwind._

I bit down on my lip—hard—so I wouldn't scream at it. _Relax my ass…_

"Max?" Angel asked, "Why are you biting your mouth?" I glanced down at her, and then realized that I tasted blood. _Great._

"Guys—stay here. Max—come with me," Fang ordered, "Ig, you're in charge."

"Hey, man, maybe I can—"

"No," Fang cut off Shane flatly.

"Come on, Max," he said. And he led me away.

* * *

"What's up?" Fang asked quietly, sitting down next to me behind the tree we had stopped at. We were pretty much across the park from the flock and Shane, who were officially scared stiff, most likely. It didn't help that Fang had a "What the _hell?_" look about him. I ran a hand through my loose hair.

"I—I don't know," I sighed. Fang was silent, waiting for me to continue.

"It's just that—I don't know. It's getting to me. Just—I'll be fine. I just needed to blow off some steam," I half-lied.

"Max," Fang warned, cupping my face and forcing me to look in his eyes, "You need to tell me, okay? You can't handle all of this on your own. I can help, if you would just talk to me." He was being so nice. And I was being…horrible. Completely horrible. I sniffed, and it was only then that I realized I was crying. Damn it.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my face still in his hands, "Maybe you should be leader? I'm too messed up." I was only half-joking. Fang shook his head.

"C'mon, Max. You know I'd be no good at that. I'm just—Fang. Like life-support. Literally." He chuckled a bit. I smiled.

"My hero," I teased.

"Exactly." He grinned for a second, and I felt warmth spread through me. Suddenly, I was me again.

"Well, we should get back. Show everyone that I'm not crazy," I said lightly.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Fang teased, smirking at me. I hit him on the arm, sticking out my tongue. We stood up, brushing leaves and dirt off our pants, and faced each other.

"Thanks, Fang," I said quietly. He smirked.

"'S what I'm here for, m' lady." I rolled my eyes.

"Let's go." On a whim, I linked my arm through his, bouncing beside him as he walked. Mr. No-Fun.

"C'mon, Fang, don't be a kill-joy," I said, smiling. Fang rolled his eyes. Then, in one fluid motion, he flipped me up and into his arms, bridal style. Then he grinned again, and the world seemed brighter.

"How's this m' lady?"

"Sir Fang, thou beist one amazing knight." I laughed.

"Thanks in the highest, miss."

**A/N: This seems like an ending to me...it's not.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello.**

**A/N: More silly Fang...and something else...**

**Disclaimer: MR is not mine. Plot is mine. Shane is mine. _I Believe I Can Fly _is a really old song that belongs to R. Kelly. _All Of Your Love_ is a really old song that belongs to Hellogoodbye.**

**Goodbye. (Oh, puns)**

We were laughing all the way back to the flock. Fang also, to my surprise, carried me the entire distance. When I asked why, all he said was, "M' lady deserves the best." Which sent us into another bout of laughter.

Seeing Fang laugh is like seeing the stars for the first time. He sparkles. He used to laugh when he was younger, in the tender period between our escape from the School and Jeb's disappearance. But we were little then—only ten or eleven—and all that had happened impacted all of us in a big way, albeit very differently. Fang crawled inside himself, just like he had back when we had been experiments at the School; Iggy turned to explosions, and I—well, I grew up. I got strong, and I missed my childhood, just like I had always expected to miss my teenage years. But then there'd be times when Fang would do something so unpredictable of his shell that I'd forget for a while. We could go back to the way we used to be. Fang was right: he was my life-line.

I'm sure they heard us before they saw us. We were laughing pretty loud, we were close, and all mutant-bird-kids have the added bonus of super-hearing. Iggy probably heard us even before that. He was super-super, after all. I was sure that they thought we were insane, or clones…or something. Fang and I were laughing like regular kids, having fun and joking around; he was carrying me, and we were singing, and I felt so high that I wondered how I didn't just float up out of his arms right then.

_"I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky!"_ we sung in unison. His low voice contrasted sharply with my own, but we made a sort of harmony.

_"I think about it every night and day! I'll spread my wings and fly away!" _We both held the last syllable, until it broke off into more laughter.

"What now, my knight?" I asked, sighing.

"Hmmm," he mused, "What doist thou think?"

"I think…do you hear that?" I asked. He put me down carefully, cocking his head in thought for a second.

"Yeah. It's…music." I smiled. It seemed to be coming from out of the park, probably a street-side store, or maybe just some kid's boom box. Fang and I looked at each other.

_"Girl, you wanted/To shut it all off and make a run for the door," _Fang sang. I cut in, _"It's so hard/To make it/For every inch we get we need a mile more." _We were both smiling, and then we both broke into song._  
_

"_But there is always so much distance can't but feel it somehow/But you have never ever felt it like you feel it right now/I'm closing off inside and it is only just starting/And you can't be close enough unless I'm feeling your heart beat…/All of your love/Is all that I need/All of your love/Is all that I need!"_"Uh…Max? Fang?" We heard a voice ask timidly. We both spun around, voices caught in our throats.

"Uh…hi, guys…" I murmured, embarrassed beyond belief. I chanced a glance at Fang, who looked both shocked and mortified. He was probably wondering why he'd ever dropped his mask. _Join the club_, I thought wryly.

"What are you, um, doing?" Nudge asked. _That's a good question._

"…Singing?" I smiled sheepishly. Everyone was looking at us funny, except Iggy, who was of course only looking in our direction funny.

"You…and _Fang_…were…singing," Gazzy said incredulously.

"Didn't you, uhm, hear us?" I asked.

"Yeah," Iggy said in a pained sort of way.

"Hey," Fang said—his first word in, "We weren't _that_ bad." I raised my eyebrows. A minute ago, Fang had been totally embarrassed about it, now he was defending it?

"I don't get you," I muttered. He flashed me a smile.

"That's the genius. You're not supposed to." I rolled my eyes, tempted to hit him again.

"Could you two stop flirting long enough for us to get all this straight?" Iggy asked, exasperated. I felt my cheeks heat.

"We weren't flirting!" Fang and I yelled as one. Great minds think alike, and all that jazz.

"Sure," Shane said, obviously deciding that the trouble was over, and he was allowed to make wry comments. Stupid ganger-upper.

"We _weren't,_" I insisted. He smiled, rolling his eyes.

"Then what _were _you doing?" he asked.

"Singing! I already told you that!" I said in a "duh" tone.

"A love song," Iggy pointed out.

"And what about before that? When Fang was carrying you?" Shane cut in before I could protest. I opened my mouth angrily, shut it, and then opened it again, saying, "I—well, you see…I mean, it was just…yeah."

"So you see, as Max explained," Fang said sarcastically, "it was nothing at all." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I thought you were on _my_ side," I pouted. He smirked.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist. It's just too much fun to pick on you." I glared at him, straightened my shoulders, and turned around to stalk off in the other direction, flipping my hair as I went.

I could almost see Fang rolling his eyes.

* * *

"Max!" I heard a voice yell after me. I was sitting on a park bench, legs and arms crossed, generally sulking.

"Max." I looked up to see Shane in front of me, hands on his knees. He plopped down beside me, muttering something that sounded like, "Girls," and, "Emotions."

"Want to repeat that?" I asked. Shane smiled.

"Sure." But he left it at that. I sighed and dropped my head into my hands.

"I feel like you know me more than you let on," I said. He shrugged.

"I fought with you a couple of times, when we were at the School." I looked up.

"It's more than that. I feel like we're—connected, somehow." Shane shrugged again.

"Maybe we're just meant to be," he said.

"Maybe," I murmured, allowing myself to get lost in his eyes. Those emerald eyes…God, were they beautiful.

"You have gorgeous eyes," I muttered. Then my mouth dropped, and my cheeks heated. Had I just said that aloud? I turned my head away in humiliation.

"Hey," Shane mumbled, touching his fingers to my chin and turning me to face him, "Don't be embarrassed. You're bold. I like that. And, thank you." I smiled a bit. He smiled back.

"_You're_ the one with the beautiful eyes," he said. I shook my head in disbelief.

"_Sure._" He locked his gaze with mine.

"No, really. They're beautiful. You're beautiful…" He trailed off, and I found myself leaning closer to him. My eyes were closing, like a dimmer switch. The world darkened for both of us.

And then our lips touched.

**A/N: dundundun...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Fang POV. You'll probably guess that XD. Oh and the inspiration for this came from Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins. It's an amazing book (so read it!! and Crank and Burned and Glass)!! (And for those of you who've read it...it's just inspiration...I'm not sending anyone to the phsych ward.) Anywho. Basically what I'm saying is this is a bit dark. Ah...just read it. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always. Can I stop putting this in?**

I stopped dead in my tracks.

No _wonder_ Shane wanted to go after Max. I felt my stomach drop. Suddenly, I was very, _very_ sick. All I wanted to do was throw up, scream, kick something, or some combination of the three. Instead, I turned around, and I ran. I ran back towards the flock, and I tried to erase the image of Shane kissing Max from my mind.

The operative word here is _tried._

It just kept playing over and over again in my head, a thousand times worse than when that Sam guy had kissed her on Anne's front porch. Because now it could last. Shane was coming with us, traveling alongside the flock…the flock, and Max. What if they got together? Could I handle it? I didn't think so. Not with them kissing all the time, acting all lovey-dovey and crap like that—not when already I could practically see myself turning green with envy. And the way she leaned into him, the way their lips touched, the way it kept replaying in my mind, over and over like some sick lullaby Jeb used to sing to us…

I backpedaled, fast.

Why did I care? Why _should_ I care? Envy? Lullabies? What was I _thinking?_ Me? Jealous? Of that Shane character? All he did was kiss my sister. My _sister._ God, what was _wrong_ with me? So he kissed her. So what? It wasn't like it affected me. She could do whatever she wanted. After all, she didn't need me around all of the time. We were growing up, and she didn't need me to take care of her anymore. She could handle it. She wasn't named _Maximum_ for nothing.

Something rustled in front of me, and I looked up, shocked to see Nudge standing before me. She was smiling, and her mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear anything she was saying. Suddenly, I felt very hot, burning. Like fire was eating away at my skin. It was like back at Anne's, right after I got Max's blood, and I kept on getting those weird heat flashes.

Except this was way worse.

My vision was swimming in and out of focus. I was swaying on my feet. Back and forth and back again. Bile rose in my throat, acid to burn the back of my tongue. And still, motion sickness. The flames were licking at my arms, my chest, my face. Oh, my face was smoldering. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. Did it really matter? My legs were numb, and my knees were buckling. I licked my lips in an effort to tame the blaze, but my tongue was dry and cracked. Caked with ash and soot, though not really. Caked with my breakfast, and my lunch. Caked with sour, cutting acid from my stomach.

Caked with only the worst of my nightmares coming to life, with words left unsaid, ready to fly out into the open. Trapped in a cold metal box, where the heat couldn't get to me, but then I was freezing. I was amazed that I was still alive at all, let alone awake. Or maybe I wasn't. I could have been dead. Could Hell really be so cold? So unforgiving? Even the worst of us deserved a break. Even me, with all I'd done. With all I'd been through. I could imagine Satan being so evil, but wouldn't that put God in the same league, for not letting us in? We may not be perfect, us sinners, but isn't He supposed to love all people, problems and all?

And now I must be dead, because there is an angel standing above me. And maybe God heard me, and maybe He let me in to Heaven, because she's so beautiful she can't be here to hurt me, and her eyes are filled with such sorrow, such worry, about me, at least I assume, because she's looking right at me, and all I can think of to do is reach up to touch her perfect face, whisper those three little words that will change my life forever, bring me back up from the depths of my self-dug grave.

**A/N: There. Short and...sour?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Um...wow. Actually...I'm gunna put my A/N at the bottom...**

**-Insert Disclaimer-**

"I love you." It's a simple phrase, and I'd heard it often enough, though not as much as I probably should have, for my well being. I couldn't say that I'd said it enough to the ones I love, either, and I hoped that that didn't make me a bad person, though I was sure it might.

But what surprised me wasn't that three-worded phrase, or the fact that it was both meaningless and the most meaningful sentence I had ever heard. What surprised me was that it came from him. He could have been hallucinating, and I considered that highly possible, especially since Shane and the flock were right here. But, even so, he could mean it.

I knew Fang loved me, and I loved him. We all did; we were family. But the way he said it—like he _loved_ me. Really loved. It was different, and I didn't know what to do, what to say. I didn't know what he was thinking, if he was thinking clearly at all, that is, and I didn't know what I was thinking, because I was most definitely _not_ thinking clearly.

On top of it all, Fang had his back to the ground, and his face told me he'd been to Hell and back. He was sweating, like he'd been through a hot flash, but his body also quaked with shivers. I didn't know whether to try to warm him up or cool him down. I could feel the flock's anxiety coming off in waves behind me, anticipating my next move. Waiting…always waiting. I sighed.

"Fang…" I muttered under my breath, "God, look at you." I touched the back of my hand to his forehead, felt the heat course up into me, eager for new flesh to infect.

"Okay," I said, raising my voice, "Iggy can you come over here? He's burning up. Nudge—get his backpack; there should be some water in there. Angel, honey, can you help Nudge wet some rags? Whatever we have—a shirt or something—is fine. Gazzy, help me prop his head up." Everyone jumped into action. Nudge and Angel ran over to Fang's pack, tearing an old shirt and wetting it with water from his bottle. Gazzy and I peeled off our windbreakers and used them to cushion Fang's head and neck, while Iggy traced his sensitive fingers over Fang's pallid face.

"Can I help at all?" I heard Shane ask, from somewhere behind me. I glanced back up at him. I held my breath for a second, let it out.

"Yeah," I said finally, "You can watch Total." I only watched him long enough to see the slightly dejected look on his face as he picked up a grumbling Total. Then, I turned back to Fang and, with one of the wet rags Angel and Nudge had supplied us with, began to dab his forehead with lukewarm water.

**A/N: Alright. I've gotten so many reviews in like a day. It's ridiculous. I mean, it's amazing and awesome and cool and sweet...but it's also ridiculous. Thanks to everyone!! (And I guess I owe a thank you to Fang's Blog...'cause otherwise I wouldn't have this many hits...ever. I never thought that this story...) Hmm...I'd kind of like to ask James Patterson why he liked this so much. I mean...everyone likes stuff for different reasons right? And I just never thought that this would be...that big of a deal. Does anyone know how to contact him?**

**Anyhow. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!**

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hm. I've gotten reviews that seem to think this was over last chapter. I have more written...and I'm assuming that putting it up would be a good idea. But, by all means, if the last chapter was the ending for you...consider this something different. Or...I don't know. XD**

* * *

"He had a pretty high fever earlier."

"How is he now?"

"Better. Not great. Still clammy and cold and hot, but better."

"Well, he better stay that way…"

"He really scared you, huh?"

"I don't know what happened, Ig. I just…I don't know. That in itself is scary." A sigh. A nod, maybe. The voices quieted, so it had to be a nod. Or maybe he was shaking his head? I heard rustling, but I kept my eyes closed.

"Get some sleep, Ig," Max sighed tiredly.

"No, Max, I'll take watch. You really should rest," Iggy insisted. She did sound tired…

"It's fine, Ig, really. I won't get to sleep anyway," she said. Why? Because of me? But what about Shane? What about the angel? My mind wandered, and I tried to form more coherent thoughts. I always tried, at least.

"Fine," Iggy sighed, "But promise to at least try to get some sleep later, okay?" Defeated. I knew Max. But so did Iggy, or he should have. Surely he'd know she'd be up all night?

"Yeah, Ig. I'll try." And that was the end. A dismissal. I heard Iggy shift and lie down; I heard Max lean against something, a tree, probably, and then I lay in the silence, feeling alone but for the steady breathing of the flock, plus one. I could hear Max every once in a while, in breaks between even ins and outs. She was irregular, like she was worried, anxious. Afraid. I could hear Iggy rolling, trying to tune out the nonstop inhale-exhale rhythm, until, finally, his breathing evened out to join it, and he was asleep.

Even then I waited a little while longer, part of me hoping in vain that Max may drift off, most of me making sure everyone else was thoroughly out before I arose to meet her. Eventually, I decided that it had been long enough. I opened my eyes to see Max's back turned to me, some ten or so feet away. I got up silently, padded over to her, and sat down in the soft grass.

"Hey." She turned to me, smiled brightly.

"You're okay," she whispered. I shrugged.

"For the most part." She laughed silently. We sat quiet for a moment, and then she turned to me again, all traces of her beautiful smile lost.

"You scared me, you know that?" she asked, "I thought you might be dead. When Nudge ran and told us…"

"You and Shane?" I filled in. She glanced up at me nervously, quickly looking back down at the patterns she was tracing in the dirt.

"Yeah. Me and Shane." The silence took over again.

"You seem to like him," I said, breaking it. Max fidgeted.

"Yeah…he's, uh, nice," she mumbled. I felt my eyes blazing, and I was seeing green again. But I couldn't stop myself.

"Yeah. I saw you guys together earlier. He seemed _very_ nice." Max's head shot up.

"That…I didn't…mean…but…" she tried.

"It's okay," I said, though I didn't know why. She didn't have to apologize, and I didn't have to forgive. We weren't together; we were just friends. So what did it matter?

"What happened today, Fang?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" I replied dumbly, locking my eyes on hers.

"With you," she said slowly, "I came and you were on the ground." Oh. _Duh._

"I don't know," I sighed and ran a hand through the shaggy mess I called hair, "I came back from…the trees…and Nudge was talking to me, I think, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. And then I started to get way hot, like before." She nodded, fingers absentmindedly drawing more pictures in the dirt while she thought.

"Anything else?" she asked. _Like what?_ I thought. I certainly wasn't going to tell her about my disjointed thoughts, how I felt like I was being eaten alive, how that gorgeous angel had come to save me…

"No. Why?" My curiosity got the better of me. I should've dropped it, but I had to know.

"You said…well," she cleared her throat and began again, "You said you loved me." My stomach sunk. Had I really? Out loud? Max…oh, God. Max was the angel. My angel. She, without a doubt, deserved the title, but why did I have to tell her so? In front of everybody?

"Oh…" I mumbled, hanging my head and looking at Max's doodles to distract me. My jaw dropped. On the ground were depicted five stick figures with wings, lying belly-up, most likely dead. There was a sixth figure standing above them, huge and winged and hairy, with visibly vicious teeth and claws. There was no sun, but what looked like a meteor, a ball of fire, was falling down over the scene. Above it all, in crude, sharp handwriting that in no way resembled Max's scrawl, a single menacing word was carved in all caps into the earth.

_DESTINY._

I realized then that never before had I really and truly heard our leader scream.

* * *

**A/N: And by the way, thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback! It was helpful, kind, motivating, among other things. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Another darkish shortish chapter...**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

_Was this how Fang felt?_ If it was, I needed to give him some serious sympathy. Agonizing pain worthy of bone-splitting shrieks; that's what it was. My throat hurt, but I couldn't stop screaming. Or maybe I couldn't start? I didn't know anymore. All I knew was the pain, above all, the pain. I could feel it attacking me, form all sides. Waiting, pouncing, grinding into my skull. My brain leaking through bone to scalp, soaking my hair. I was surprised they couldn't see it. Deteriorating. Melting, thrashing, evoking scars long-ago buried. The ones I hid beneath my skin. The ones I never let anyone crawl in deep enough to see, not even him. Not even family. The places where my world was ruled by shame and fear and pain. The places that were just then becoming my home. Ripping through the night.

Ripping through me.

Maybe the ground was beneath me; I could have been floating. My skin split, and I could feel an aching settling into my stomach. I was growing, morphing. Less tragedy, more jeopardy. To the others. To myself. Scars spilling out from torn smooth skin, tattered muscles leaving gaping holes for strength and hurt and mayhem, where the only way to escape to freedom was to finally accept my distorted fate.

* * *

Its funny how in the event of something completely terrible, your mind can cope by hiding the memories. The tastes, smells, sounds. The way the blood felt running down your face. Between your fingers, teeth, claws. It's funny how it doesn't have to be something bad that happened to you, but maybe something bad you did. Hell reaching up to you. And in the midst of this terrible thing, it's funny to think of all the people you hurt, and how even after, you don't really seem to care.

Even if you do.

It's complicated, and confusing, and hard to understand, even for me, even as I'm experiencing it. Even as I live through it. The voices are always the ones to lift you back up, out of the malaise that clung to your jutting bones, like now, with me. Emaciated. Voices. Calling. Lifting me up and out of the deep black chasm. Streaked with red, streaked with blood, and the moans I heard were not my own, but the moans of those I'd hurt.

**A/N: Again thanks to every single one of you who has reviewed!! (What is it? Over 400 now? Jeeze...) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. MR. But I own Shane and this plot.**

"Are you okay?" Okay? No. Alive? Maybe. I rolled over, spat out blood, and I groaned.

"God, what happened?" I murmured, looking around in awe at the ragged clearing. Trees: uprooted. Soil: overturned. Camp: destroyed. Had I slept through an attack? How? And then it hit me, like a ton of freaking bricks, right in the chest, right through my heart.

_Max._

I looked around for her, found her standing feet away from me, looking at me warily. Probably afraid she would flip out, again. She looked at me curiously, sadly. Tears streaked down her beautiful cheeks. I glanced around to see the others still knocked out. Then, cautiously, I stood up, brushing dirt of my pants and wincing at the wounds that covered my body. Scratches, bruises, bites. I thought I heard whimpering while she tore at me. Love bites, perhaps? I couldn't remember any kisses, and I was pretty sure that, seeing as it was Max, I would've recalled them spot-on if there had been.

"What did I…? Oh, God. Oh, God, oh, God, oh my, God…" she whispered in disbelief, eyes darting from me to her smooth hands and back again.

"Max," I said, trying to be comforting, "It's not your fault. You didn't mean—"

"Look at yourself, Fang!" she cried desperately, "Look at all this! I did this! I'm a monster!" I hissed in a breath at the pain as I walked closer toward her. She backed up away from me, her eyes wild. _Damn it, Max. Let me get close to you!_

"Stay away from me," she mumbled, "I'm not safe. I should go, before the others come to. I'll go south, okay? Get far away from there—as far as you can!" She turned to run, and the pain in my legs faded from my mind.

"No!" I yelled. She turned, looking at me in shock as I caught up with her. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, and she stared at me with a mix of confusion and resentment.

"Fang. Let. Go," she ordered, and venom dripped from her words. I looked back at her, equally venomous.

"No." Her angry tone dropped, and she sighed in defeat.

"But look at this, Fang. Look!" she pleaded.

"I see it," I said, my tone still even. Max's voice cracked.

"I destroyed it," she said, sniffling, "I hurt you guys. What's wrong with me?"

"You're going to be okay," I assured, wrapping one arm around her waist and using the other to wipe tears from her face.

"Fang," she pulled away, "Don't you get it? I just almost killed you and the flock! You could've been dead by now! If I stay, it'll just happen again. Next time you might not be as lucky." I pulled her back towards me, breathing in her scent. Even after all of this, she was still Max.

"There are worse things that can happen to a guy," I mumbled against her hair.

"Besides," I continued, before she could interrupt, "It wasn't your fault." I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead.

"You're going to be okay. We're all going to be okay." She shuddered, and I knew she was still crying.

"What?" I asked.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I smiled a bit.

"I can't really help it." I shrugged.

"Why?" she asked. I sighed and pulled her into my chest again without answering. _Because, Max, I think I maybe kind of sort of love you. _

* * *

Fang held me for a long time. He looked pensive, and I didn't want to disturb him, so I leaned against his chest, worn out from my rampage, and thought of ways I could slip passed him and escape. I knew I couldn't stay. Not while I was capable of…of whatever I was capable of. I only remembered a blur of what happened. I knew I morphed. I knew that I hit a lot of people. I knew that nobody hit me back. I was pretty sure that I used my claws more than my fists. I thought Fang was the only one I bit. I wouldn't know for sure, though, until I checked for wounds. Which I wasn't going to do. Because I would be far away, running, trying to make sure that Fang, in all his stubbornness, couldn't catch up.

"Max?" Speak of the devil.

"Yeah?" I asked warily.

"Did you—uhm—did you…bite me…on the neck?" he asked. I flushed red with embarrassment.

"I...uh…I didn't mean t—"

"It's okay," he cut me off, "I was just wondering." I nodded, glad he seemed not to remember all of the places I'd bitten him. I didn't know why I'd nibbled on him, especially when I kissed him; bit his bottom lip, down his neck, his shoulder. I remembered, but I was glad he didn't.

"Max?" Why did he seem so nervous?

"Yeah?" I asked. _Déjà vu, _I thought.

"Did you also…uh…k-kiss m-me?" he stuttered. My eyes widened, and I lifted my head so that our eyes could meet.

"I—I mean—I guess, but I—didn't—you know, right? I wasn't…right?" I tried.

"It's okay," he said quickly, turning his head away. But he kept holding me. For a while, we stood in silence.

"Max?" he asked again. _What the hell?_

"Yeah?" I asked back, mostly just to keep up with the pattern that was forming.

"…Never mind." I looked up at him, trying to see what was going on in his head, but he was looking away towards the clearing—the flock.

"The flock!" I exclaimed suddenly. I tore out of Fang's arms and leapt to the first aid kit. For a second, Fang looked as though he was about to grab me again, try to keep me from running away. But then he saw the bandages I was hastily pulling out of the kit, the antiseptic I'd almost spilled everywhere as I attempted to pry off the lid, and he calmly walked over to me. Fang gently took the medical supplies from me, uncapping the antiseptic easily, and began to dress the flock's wounds. I frantically checked their pulses, hoping they were still alive, dreading that they weren't. For a few tense seconds I thought Gazzy was gone. Tears leaked out of my eyes, but I was beginning to feel like I couldn't cry anymore. Then I felt a faint pulse, and my heart beat erratically with relief. The shock of my life, and I still couldn't feel that much of anything. My body went on automatic, and I went through the motions of checking the rest of the flock. Everyone was alive. I couldn't help but think about how much they must've hated me. My mind continued to be foggy. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. It had to be all a dream…right?

**...A/N: Alright. Here's the deal guys. Um...school's coming up on me fast and I am definately not finished with this. But as I get busier it's gunna be harder to write/post. So I'll do it as often as I can, but school comes first and blahblahblahblahblah. Anyhow. This is not a goodbye by any means. And I'm so hugely grateful for all your support!! It means a lot. XD **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: DOUBLE DIGIT CHAPTERS! Yeeeeah.**

**Disclaimer: Read the others. It hasn't changed.**

I was still a monster, but Fang insisted on keeping me around, even as we moved out of the park to a more secluded foresty area. I was on 24 hour watch, meaning Fang was watching me 23 hours a day, and Iggy was forced into listening for one hour while Fang slept. Even during the three hour flight to the cover of a canopy of trees, Fang kept a hand close to my wrist. I couldn't use my super speed without him coming with me.

I could tell the younger set was scared of me. I couldn't blame them, but I can't say that it didn't hurt to watch Nudge herd Gazzy and Angel away whenever I got too close. And that look she gave me—like I was some kind of monster. Come to think of it, they were all giving me the look. Angel, my baby, spared me. Fang obviously spared me. But even Iggy was permanently sour in my presence. Even Gazzy, my little trooper, stayed as far away as possible. I deserved it of course, but I wish I didn't have to see it.

I tried to be around as little as possible. I had to stay close by, because Fang wouldn't let me out of his sight and I wanted him to be there for the flock. I was never alone, really, but I felt lonelier than I could ever remember being. Fang tried to comfort me. He gave up trying to get the others to forgive me. Angel would catch my eye and send me small, sad smiles every once in a while.

Shane was a whole other story. No one had gotten to know him well, and it didn't help his case that I had skipped over him in my attack. It would make sense for us outcasts to stick together, and I could tell that's exactly what Shane wanted to do. But I couldn't bring myself to be near him. Why did I hurt the ones I love and spare the one I barely knew? I could tell the others were thinking it too, even Fang, who insisted that nothing I did that night meant anything. I wasn't myself. It was the School. You're not a monster Max. You're you. You can't have done this. It's not your fault. Excuses, excuses, excuses. It didn't matter why, I said, it happened, and it will happen again. I know it will. But he brushed off my concern like it was the craziest thing in the world. Yeah, almost as crazy as me morphing into a horrible murderer and almost killing all of my flock.

"Max?" A voice pulled me out of my thoughts. At first I couldn't tell who it was. I vaguely wondered why _the_ Voice hadn't talked to me in a while. Did it have something to do with my transformation?

I turned around to see Fang. I sighed and dropped my eyes to the ground.

"What?" I could barely hear my own voice. Fang's expression held relief. He looked at me for a moment longer and then explained, "I couldn't find you." I continued to stare at the earth. It was silent for some time; I thought he probably left, albeit he never went far.

"Shane's gone," Fang finally muttered. I almost made the mistake of looking up at him. Catching myself, as well as the breath that had stopped in my throat in shock, I gave a small nod of understanding.

_Don't you wonder why he's disappeared? _I jumped slightly at the Voice's smooth…well, voice.

_Does it really matter? _I thought back bitterly, mostly to myself. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Fang watching me, trying to analyze what just happened. The Voice remained silent.

"Fang! Fang! Fa—oh," Nudge cut herself off—for once—when she saw me. Shaking her head a bit, she turned to Fang.

"Fang, we need more food." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fang nod curtly.

"Okay. Why don't you get Iggy and fly to the nearest grocery store?" he suggested. I kept pretending I wasn't listening.

"Iggy's busy building something with Gazzy. Can't you come?" It was like she planned it for me. The perfect plan. If only Fang would agree.

"I don't know, Nudge. I'd really rather stay…" he trailed off.

"Oh, come on! She's not going anywhere," Nudge said, exasperated, then muttered, "Besides, who cares if she leaves?" Fang heard, and his eyes radiated fury. I took that as my sign to step in.

"Hold on! It's okay. Nudge is right. I won't go anywhere," I lied easily. If only he would trust me…just like he used to. Fang looked me up and down warily.

"I still don't know…" I rolled my eyes and pushed him a few feet towards Nudge.

"Really. It's _fine,_" I stressed. Fang looked at me again, sighed in defeat.

"Okay Nudge. Let's go." It's funny, after all this, I was still the leader to Fang. Maybe I always would be. He didn't leave right away though. He stepped close to me and firmly grasped my shoulders in his hands.

"Promise me you won't leave." I looked him straight in the eye.

"I promise." Fang closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose, relief beginning to creep up onto his features. With my reassurance, he turned and left. I watched as he and Nudge unfurled their wings and soared gracefully into the sky. My mouth quirked up into a smile, and it stayed like that until they faded from my view.

And then I broke my promise.

**A/N: Thanks again for reviews XD They are very...motivating.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own ONLY what's mine.**

At first I was just traveling with my super speed. I wanted to get as far away as possible, as fast as possible. I was finally gone. Finally. Hopefully the flock would move again soon. I didn't want to know where they were for too much longer. If I changed again…but it wouldn't matter. I was _gone._

Eventually my pace slowed, and I surveyed the area around me, looking for any landmarks, anything to give some clue as to where I was.

_You're in California, _the Voice monotoned. I nodded a bit, not as bothered by its presence as I usually was. What bothered me more was the rustling I was hearing to my left. A bush was moving. I felt my knees bend, getting low into a fighting stance by habit. I saw a flash of skin, and I almost lunged. But suddenly my hands were held behind my back. I let out a shriek of fury. How the _hell_ had _I_ gotten captured? Was I completely losing it? I kicked at the shins of my attacker, and then I surprised him by hooking my leg around his calf and flipping him onto his back. I was sure I'd get my hands free in time, but this guy who jumped me had to be as strong as I was. He held on with a dead man's grip and I ended up falling on top of him. I heard his breath leave him with an _oof_ when I landed square on his chest, and, being the resourceful bird girl that I am, I used the opportunity to scramble off him so I could pin his arms to the ground with my hands and his legs with my knees.

"Max? Ma—" My prisoner began coughing uncontrollably, later sucking in air in an attempt to catch his breath. I finally got a good look at his face.

"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed, rolling off him, "What are _you_ doing here?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Let's get to it.**

**Disclaimer: I own what's mine and not what's not mine.**

"She's gone."

"What?"

"I _said_, 'she's gone.'"

"What the hell do you mean _gone_?" Fang roared.

"What do you mean what do I mean, Fang? I told you. She. Is. Gone!" Iggy yelled back.

"You were supposed to watch her," Fang growled, throwing his hands up in exasperation, "I know you guys didn't want her around. But you had no right. She's—"

"_We_ had no right? Fang, you've got to be kidding me! You can't tell me you don't know how dangerous she is—"

"She's _Max!_" Fang snapped. He put his head in his hands, massaging his temples with his thumbs, "She's still Max." Iggy sighed, the fight gone from him too.

"Dude," he began, then shook his head, "Love is blind."

Fang looked up briefly, "What?" Iggy sighed again. Then he inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly.

"Where would she go?" Fang allowed his lips to tug up to his ears in something resembling a small grin.

"Thanks, Ig." Iggy rolled his eyes.

"I'm doing this for you, man. Not her," he said flatly. Fang nodded curtly. He'd take what he could get at this point. Max could win back the flock later. But first, they'd have to find her. He suddenly realized that Iggy had no way of seeing him nod.

"Iggy…" Fang turned around, but Iggy was already gone, rounding up the rest of the flock and the supplies they could need for the flight. The flight to God knows where.

* * *

"Well, what are _you_ doing here?" he shot back.

"I asked you first!"

"I asked you second." I rolled my eyes in frustrations. Boys.

"I ran away from the flock," I said nonchalantly, toying with a loose thread on the hem of my shirt.

"So did I," Shane replied.

"They hate me," I muttered. Shane smiled and let out a sort-of-chuckle.

"Me too."

"So why California?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Why not?" I thought about it for a second.

"The School. Beaches." Shane looked at me funny for a second.

"The School I get. But beaches?" he asked. I muttered, "I've had some bad times on beaches." Then a light must've gone off in his head, because his eyes cleared in understanding and he nodded vigorously.

"Like Fang being beaten to a pulp by Ari and you tying to cut the chip out of your arm." I cast my eyes down, remembering. Ari hurting Fang, scracting him so he looked like a cat, and then my unexpected kiss. My face heated up when I recalled that. And Fang's reply. "Ow." And then when I tried to get the chip out of my arm, the Voice out of my head, and I scared everyone so much…and it hadn't worked anyway.

I didn't know what to say to Shane. How was I supposed to respond to this? These awful, miserable memories. And then my eyes narrowed.

"Wait. How do you know about that?" He looked shocked.

"Y-you told me," he said. But I didn't miss the pause before he spoke. Or the stutter. Or the way his eyes would suddenly not meet mine.

"No…no, I didn't." He sighed.

"Okay. You caught me. I was going to tell you. Really, I was. I swear." I looked him up and down and backed away, crouching so I was once again ready for a fight.

"Explain. Or the last thing you're ever gunna see is my fist coming at your face."

**A/N: I know what the rest is going to be. Meaning I have a plan that I'm going to follow. Pretty religiously. Um...I have to write more. But I have essays DX and math!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Happy Labor Day! (aka: day off!!)**

**Disclaimer: You've heard this before.**

"So she probably flew in the opposite direction of me and Nudge," I pondered aloud. I'd gathered the flock in the spot where I'd last seen Max, where she _promised_ me not to run away when I left to get groceries. Where I'd trusted her. Where I'd been stupid enough to trust her. Of course she would take that chance to get away! That's what she wanted. She wanted us to be safe. And she would lie to me if it meant keeping the flock safe. Total was jumping up and down in the spot she had been standing in, sniffing, circling. I rolled my eyes. A tracking dog, he was not.

"So I guess we head west," I finished. I looked at the flock. Nudge and Gazzy looked unhappy. I sighed. They still couldn't see it. She wasn't that thing she had become. Underneath it all, I knew they still loved her. But they were the notorious grudge-holders in the flock—that is besides Max, The Queen of Grudges. I wonder if they knew that they learned it from her? Angel was all bubbles and candy, as usual. I think it helped knowing what was going on in others' heads. She could always avoid misunderstandings. And as for empathy…well, that goes without saying. And then there was Iggy. He was acting sort of strange, saying things like, "Love is blind" or, "Just tell her, dude." I always feigned ignorance. But I think he knew what was really going on. He was way more perceptive than Max or I ever give him credit for.

"We going?" Iggy asked, and I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," I murmured. Then, raising my voice, I pumped my wings and lifted into the sky, "U & A guys! We've got a flock member to find."

* * *

"Um…I don't really know how to say this. You have to promise not to get mad," Shane said. I huffed and rolled my eyes, staying in a fighting stance.

"I'm _way_ passed mad. I'm furious. I'm livid. I'm gunna—"

"Okay, okay I get it. Just know…it was the only way. Anne knew you wouldn't listen to her. And Jeb…well, there was that huge blow-up when they found out what he was doing and he had to leave and now you feel like he's betrayed you and—"

"He _did_ betray us! Slow down. Anne? Jeb? What the _hell_ are you talking about? Do what?" I interrupted him. He seemed to have just realized how long he'd gone without taking a breath. It was quiet for a second as we both collected ourselves.

"We should sit down," he offered. I motioned for him to sit first. When he did I backed up and sat against a tree a few yards away.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he pleaded. I rolled my eyes again, "Yeah, right. I think I'll just stay over here…" He sighed, looking royally ticked off.

"My God, you could do more damage in three seconds than I could do in minutes." I cringed back from the memory. I never thought I'd miss seeing Eraser Max in the mirror…but it was way better when she was there, instead of out in the open. Taking over my body.

"Do you know what happened to me?" I asked, suddenly aware that Shane could have a connection to all this. Maybe, just maybe…

"…Um…yeah. Sorry about that. I was supposed to meet you back when you first got your powers, so I could set them off before they were fully developed. But I couldn't find you. So now you're too strong. It's going to take a few more trials before you are able to control them. I didn't realize that when I decided to see what you could do, and…well…you saw what happened." My mouth was hanging open, just about to the ground. Anger raced through my veins.

"_You made me do that?!_" I screamed. Just like in a movie, birds squawked and flew out of the trees overhead at my shriek.

**A/N: Well...I've gotta go study for a phsyics test...hope you enjoyed it. XD (and thanks again for ALL THE AMAZING REVIEWS!! I love you guys XP)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm back! With freshly written work...**

**Disclaimer: Nothing you don't already know.**

We'd been flying for hours, and I had a feeling that most of it was in circles. I didn't know where we were, just that we still hadn't found Max. My head was beginning to pound just a bit, and it didn't help that I was getting less and less patient with every passing "I'm hungry." I didn't even know where we were. California, for sure. Near Death Valley? The surroundings looked somewhat familiar. Were we by the School? Or closer to the border, our escape? No one had said anything for a while. When I turned around, they were all still there. Silent. Staring ahead. Nudge would usually be talking non-stop by now, but even she could only open her mouth to complain about the lack of food hundreds of feet up in the air. Total was quiet too, shifting awkwardly in the pack on Iggy's back.

My headache wasn't getting any better.

* * *

"Well…you see…it's hard to explain…but…um…Max…"

"Spit it out already!" I exasperated. Shane looked like he might've forgotten that we were on different sides for a moment.

"My God, calm down!" My gaze turned to ice, and I saw him falter a bit. _Good. _

"I mean…right, right. I should start by saying I'm not with Itex. Did you know about the Anti Movement?" I shook my head.

"The what?" How many evils was I supposed to save the world from?

"No, no. They're not evil," Shane said quickly. I cocked my head at him.

"Can you hear what I'm thinking?" I asked cautiously. His gaze immediately dropped.

"Max, I have to tell you something." I shrugged as if to say "Go on."

"All this time…Itex hasn't been tracking you. The Voice…none of that is Itex. The Anti Movement, we…we need you. And your flock. You guys are our key to destroying Itex. The School wasn't built for evil. It's not affiliated with Itex at all. In fact, it was made to destroy Itex. Or, more accurately, it was made to make what would destroy Itex." I opened my mouth to scream at him. I got on my feet to pound him to a bloody, twitching pulp. I even got my feet to start towards him.

And then my head exploded.

* * *

It felt like someone shot my brains out. I really actually thought my head was gone. _No head, no head. Headless horseman. Headless bird-kid. _

Oh, shit. It hurt like hell.

I'm pretty sure I didn't cry out, but the flock was awake anyway, crowding around me, Iggy shouting orders I couldn't understand. I wanted so badly for him to stop. My eardrums…were…bursting. Is that the word? Bursting. My head was bursting. My brains were splattering all over Nudge and Gazzy. Angel was crying. Was I bleeding? My teeth, they were growing…were they? Oh God, oh God, oh God. Save me, save me, save me. God, save them. Save us all.

Where's that gun that shot my brains out? I need it to try again. Again, again, again. Kill me, kill me, kill me. _KILL ME!_

"NO!" A girl screamed. I heard "Stay with us", "Please", "We're sorry! We love you, don't die". Don't die. Don't die. Don't. Please. No no no no no.

Meaning I'm not already fucking dead?

**A/N: Now, what, exactly, is going on here? Thank you all SOSOSO much for the fabulous reviews!! I'm just 5 shy of 900...holy crap. That's amazing. That's so amazing, I don't even know what to say about that it's so amazing. **

**Actually, I have something else to say. I'm getting really into Chuck Palahniuk's writing. I don't know if any of you have read stuff by him (Fight Club, to name a really famous one) but he's awesome. I mean, I've never actually felt sick just from reading a book before. And he managed to make me kind of queasy. So anyhow. Read Palahniuk. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: It's short. But there's a lot of stuff happening in this chapter. (Well...mental stuff.)**

**Disclaimer: ...**

"Don't," Shane warned, and the pain in my head got worse. I scrunched my forehead against the pressure in my skull.

"What…the…hell…you…doing…this?" I managed to get out between pursed lips. The knifing pain was subsiding. Now it was just a low drone, forever echoing from ear to ear, behind my eyes and temples. The eye of the storm.

"You needed someone to help you," Shane whispered, almost to himself, "The Anti Movement...they were afraid. Hell, I was afraid. You were distracted. There was a mission. We never meant to take away your childhood. The School was corrupt. At the beginning the tests were minimally invasive, do you remember? They were humane, almost. As humane as tests could be. But they were necessary too. How long would you all have to train? How hard? How long would it take to teach you how to survive? And how long would you survive? They didn't know anything. They made us, and they didn't know jack about us. And then there was Anne, a traitor the whole time, and everyone knew it. She wasn't very good at keeping secrets. They watched her. Sent me to watch her. And then when our lives were on the path to crossing…there was an idea. You wouldn't listen to Jeb; he was mistaken in teaching you such paranoia. You wouldn't listen to the concept of an Anti Movement. Maybe you'd listen to something inside. We'd just have to make sure that that something inside said the right things. A little push in the right direction every now and then. A little voice in your head to lead the leader of our revolution." I gawked. My head was still throbbing, but now it was from shock instead of the remnants of a brain attack. I couldn't process the information he'd just given me. I couldn't…think.

"Who is it? Can they fix me?" I asked, sudden hope finding its way into my heart.

"Fix you? Max, I told you already, you're not broken. You're different—special. The others are two percent bird. You're one percent avian, one percent lupine. It's just your powers coming out due to the close proximity of their trigger—"

"I am _not_ an Eraser!" I hissed, pinning Shane by the neck against the tree behind him. He choked for air, spit sputtering out from his mouth. I gave one last hard shove on his trachea and let him go, watching smugly as he bent over, gasping for oxygen.

"You're…not…" he coughed out, "You're just…Maximum." I let my breathing calm a bit.

"What do you mean, the 'trigger' was close?"

"That little voice in your head, Max. It was never supposed to get so near, except to trigger the first-coming of your powers. But it can't stay away. It thinks you're quite amazing. And after being in your head, so literally, it knows what you want. What you need. We're very similar, you know, when it comes down to it." I blinked at him. The way he knew so much…the way he moved closer with every word…and that voice. The voice he was using. It wasn't male, or female…

It wasn't...anything…but familiar.


	16. Chapter 16

* * *

I think my heart may have actually stopped. My life is crazy. It's insane. I mean, if you really think about it, I'm living in some science fiction movie, coming to theatres near you soon. After almost fifteen years of it, it's really, _really_, difficult to surprise me. To surprise me to the point where my body even reacts? Psh, forget it. But even with all that, even though I should've sensed it, known it, with the way we met so randomly, the way we connected, the way he knew just what to say…

I was so shocked I fainted.

I opened my eyes to see a close up of Shane's face, zoomed in so far that only his nose and eyes were in my line of vision. For a second, I weighed my options. Then I socked him in the face.

Blood spilled out his nose. His hands flew up to block it, but it was no use. It was everywhere—the ground, his clothes, _my_ clothes. It was Shane's turn to look shocked.

"Wha—what was that for?!"

"What do you think it was for, you filthy, corrupt, sexist, vulgar, annoying, evil little piece of shi—"

"Okay, God, I get it! Just…calm down." I fumed.

"Calm down. You're telling me to calm down. _Calm down!_ What the hell is wrong with you, you bastard! You little insignificant, unworthy, life-destroying—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…now _that's_ a little harsh," Shane stopped me.

"_Harsh!"_ I screeched, "No. You…talking…to me, in my head—that's harsh. You controlling me—that's harsh. You…y-you _changing_ me into a freaking _monster_—that's _harsh!_ Compared to you I'm an angel, I'm a saint, I'm the least _harsh_ person out there. Compared to you—" Shane pressed his palm over my mouth.

"Will you be quiet for a second? Please? Just…it's not like you think. I told you already, remember? The Anti Movement? Anti-Itex?" Shane was breathing hard from trying to explain so quickly. I just looked at him, appalled.

"You expect me to believe that me almost killing my Flock has something to do with an Anti-Itex movement?" I deadpanned slowly. Shane looked up at me helplessly.

"Max…I…you know I didn't mean for it to turn out that way—"

"I know? _I know?_" I shrieked, "How could I possibly—"

"Max!" A small, distant voice cut me off. I cocked my head.

"What?" I hissed. Puzzled eyed met mine.

"Um…I didn't…what?" Shane said quietly.

"_Max!_" That voice again. It was closer.

"What?" I asked, louder this time.

"Max, I honestly don't have any idea—" Shane's sentence faded into background noise as I listened carefully, waiting for—

"_MAX!_" This time, I didn't say anything. I was painfully aware of how idiotic I must have looked. The crazy bird-girl talking out loud to herself—and at a time as precarious as this. In that moment, I was painfully aware of three other, more pressing, points.

One: that voice was coming from inside my head.

Two: It wasn't _the_ Voice; it wasn't Shane.

And three: It was my baby, Angel. And she sounded scared as hell.

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

* * *

I must have shown some physical sign of my epiphany, because Shane was leaning far too close to me, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Max? Max? What happened? What's going on? Is something wrong? I promise, whatever's in your head right now, it isn't—" I cut off his rant (a Nudge-worthy one, at that) with a sharp slap to his cheek.

"Ow…Max. What the he—"

"Please, Shane, do me just one favor," I said, still slightly dazed from hearing Angel's voice in my head.

"Um…sure," he replied stiffly.

"Shut up." In three seconds I was bulleting through the sky at super-speed, back towards where I'd left the flock. _A new record maybe?_ I thought vaguely, but all too soon even my thoughts were snatched away by the wind.

* * *

"She's not coming," Gazzy said for about the _fifty-zillionth_ time that hour.

"She's coming. She has to be coming. She loves us, right?" Nudge was biting her fingernails—something she only did when she was really nervous. I knew because I could hear her chompchompchomping away between every sentence. Sometimes even during the sentence.

Ew.

"Well if she doesn't come I won't blame her. After the way _you_ treated her—I wouldn't come back!" Gazzy huffed.

"_Me?_ What about you! You practically ignored her all the time!" Nudge shouted back.

"Well you were the one who put us all against her in the first pla—"

"Well _she_ practically _killed_ us! I was just trying to protect—"

"Max would never do something like that on purpose! You _know_—"

"Of course I _know_ that, Gazzy, but—"

"But what? Huh? What could possibly make you turn against—"

"I was scared, okay? I was scared." The silence that followed was penetrating. And then, all at once, it was like someone turned off the mute button.

Nudge was bawling. Which started Gazzy crying. Which started me wondering. Why _had_ we so forcefully pushed Max away? I guess we were all scared. We'd been betrayed before, by Jeb. There'd been a Max II—she could have come back. And Fang…maybe he was blinded by how much he cared for her. Scratch that. _For sure_ he was blinded by how much he cared for her. I mean, I'm blind. But_ damn_ is that boy _blind. _The point is…Fang's a mess when Max is gone. Always has been. So he was naturally completely _insane_ when it came to her. Unlike the rest of us, who maintained the precious ability to look past our love for our dear leader and be scared shitless by her almost ripping our throats out.

"Iggy!" Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to the sound of Angel's voice.

"Max tracked us." I tilted my head a bit.

"And?"

"She's here."

* * *


End file.
